St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-01
THE SOCIAL WORLD.

A comparison between the English and
French nations in regard to the bearing of
gentlemen toward ladies is brought out as
the startling result OF close observation i'll
q recent letter of Mrs. John Sherwood to
the New York World. She says:
II is curious to notice the difference in op-
tionnl civility Oh the two sides of the channel.
A Frenchman always lifts his hat on entering
q railway carriage if ladies are in it; he takes
it off us he leaves them. An Englishman
rarely takes OF his hat unless the princess is
passing, or he meets an acquaintance. He
sits with his hat on in the house OF commons,
in the reading-room of a hotel when ladies
are present, IN his club, where he is privi-
legged to sClk. But in his own house
there is no host so polite as an English
man, unless it is an American, and in
a friends parlor they all have, men
and women, "politesse" which we might
copy. They speak without an Introduction
the roof is an introduction. And as showing
how much fashion and custom have to do
with what even the most reserved people
conclude should be done, the English lady,
who will not walk alone in the park, will go
TO Il dinner by the full light of ii summer sun,
in crowded London, in low neck and dia-
mondS, in that singularly open and exposed
carriage known as hanson. Thus what we
would shun. as very public, I'M
reserved sort of fashion. the re-
served Englishwoman does in London, while
toria in Hyde park, and would consider her.
self an improper person if she asked u gen.
temau TO drive out with her alone in her VIC
toIia!-a thing considered proper enough in
America. Etiquette is curious and arbri-
trary thing, and differs in every country.
An American gentleman does not smoke
while driving with his wife in the park here,
but an English gentleman does; il is not con-
sideIed bad manners.
~
Now as one comes farther west on this
continent, etiquette becomes more and less
arbitrary. With respect to barring theshead,
the biggest boor would feel ashamed if he
did not raise his hat upon meeting lady
acquaintance, or gentleman acquaintance
accompanied by lady, on the street, but
when il comes to entering railway carriage
the national custom is to leave the hat
upon the Uranium. whether ladies are in
the car or not unless the mercury should
have risen to a melting point. In the read
ing room of the hotel Northwesterners are
like the English, but in the club no gentle
man would sit with head uncovered while
a lady was present, and no gentleman will
smoke in a lady's presence, or while walk
ing with lady.
But there are few things in which eti-
ouette is very lax and inconsistent Upon
the street pavement the gentleman should
always give the lady the inside OF the side
walk in passing, so the books say, but does
he? Yet gentleman eScorting lady in
variably takes the outside. Notwithstanding
that the lady should always cling to the
left arm, as the right should be used for
protection. However, there is little need
of protection, and Minnesotans are as dex-
ferrous with one arm as the other, and
native politeness more than makes up for
stringent etiquette.
*x~.
Passing down Third street not long ago a
contrast was. noticed too easily. There
We're two young gentlemen smoking on
their way up the street. Both passed a
lady. One. with Unborn politeness.
took his cigar from between his
teeth, and was careful not to emit
any smoke while the lady was passing; the
other went on smoking all the same, puff
ing dense volumes, some of which the lady
caught in her face.
go
The difference between gentlemen is also
easily apparent upon street cars. One
gentleman surrenders his seat with pleas
ant Take this seat, lady," while another
sits like stone as much as to say, Il want
rest just as well as you"
AFTER MUCH EXPECTATION.
The event of most prominence of the
l. ~